Bedtime Story (1941)

Playwright tries to stop his wife from retiring so he can star her in his next play.

Director:

Alexander Hall

Writers:

Richard Flournoy (screen play), Horace Jackson (story),

Stars:

Fredric March, Loretta Young, Robert Benchley

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Fredric March	...	Luke Drake
Loretta Young	...	Jane Drake
Robert Benchley	...	Eddie Turner
Allyn Joslyn	...	William Dudley
Eve Arden	...	Virginia Cole
Helen Westley	...	Emma Harper
Joyce Compton	...	Beulah
Tim Ryan	...	Mac
Olaf Hytten	...	Alfred
Dorothy Adams	...	Betsy
Clarence Kolb	...	Collins
Andrew Tombes	...	Pierce

Storyline

A Braodway playwright wants to keep on writing plays for his wife to star in, but all she wants is to retire to Connecticut and, following a few 'worlds-apart" discussion of the issue, they get a divorce. The actress marries a banker in a fit of pique only to quickly discover the divorce was not valid. She communicates this information to her not-yet ex-husband and he, to prevent consummation of the invalid marriage rescues her by sending plumbers, waiters, porters, chambermaids, bellhops, desk clerks, exterminators and, finally, a crowd of roistering conventioneers to the suite to ensure no bedtime story would take place there.

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Plot Keywords:

playwright | divorce | invalid marriage | plumber | chambermaid | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 December 1941 (USA)

Also Known As:

Accadde una sera

Company Credits

Production Co:

B.P. Schulberg Productions, Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The scene Eve Arden's character is playing badly on stage during rehearsal (which Loretta Young's character then plays, in order to show Eve's character the right way to play it) is actually a scene from the 1936 movie "Theodora Goes Wild", a romantic comedy movie starring Irene Dunne.

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Quotes

[last lines, at the end of the play's premiere]
Luke Drake: It's a smash hit, Eddie -- it'll run five years!
Jane Drake: Ladies and gentlemen! This will have the shortest run of any of Mr. Drake's plays...
[gasps from audience]
Luke Drake: No, no, no. Five years!
Jane Drake: It will be closed in the early spring by an act of God. And I'm sure Mr. Drake hopes it will be... a boy.
[Luke faints]

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Connections

References Theodora Goes Wild (1936)

User Reviews

March and Young

Bedtime Story (1941)

*** (out of 4)

Delightful and often times hysterical comedy about a playwrite (Fredric March) who will stop at nothing to get his actress wife (Loretta Young) out of retirement to star in his latest play. The story might be typical for this type of comedy but the incredible cast really makes this one of the most memorable films of its type. March is downright brilliant as the obsessed writer who puts his play over his wife. March keeps his serious tone throughout the film but the way he makes it a tad bit lighter than we typically see just shows what a great actor he was. Young is also perfect in her role, which requires her to be funny and even dramatic during a few scenes. The chemistry between March and Young is wonderful and they make for a terrific duo. Robert Benchley, Allyn Joslyn and Helen Westley add great support and make the film even more funny. The film ends on a hysterical note as a riot breaks out in a motel room, which features just about everything you could imagine.